ATP NextGen Finals 2024. Final Analysis: Joao Fonseca Vs. Learner Tien
Two players who have everything to succeed in tennis face off for the title that will certify one of them as the best young tennis player of the year
Joao Fonseca and Learner Tien are two of the talents of the future. They will face off in the final of the NextGen ATP Finals 2024, giving one of them the perfect boost to start the 2025 season in the main ATP circuit. Despite established ATP players like Arthur Fils or Jakub Mensik participating in this tournament, both Fonseca and Tien have shown the quality of tennis they have displayed throughout the year on the Challenger circuit and have reached this final in Saudi Arabia.
NextGen ATP Finals are a perfect opportunity for players under 21 to showcase themselves to the world and demonstrate their ability to win tournaments and perform in a big event. Previous winners of this event have had successful careers in the ATP circuit, such as Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jannik Sinner, or Carlos Alcaraz. The final of 2024 will be between the Brazilian Joao Fonseca and the American Learner Tien, two players aiming high in the tennis elite.
- The right-hander aiming to join the new Big 3
Joao Fonseca is a different player. At 18 years old, the depth of shot he achieves is almost unreachable, and he tries to take advantage of it whenever the opportunity arises. Some already position him as the next rival to beat alongside Alcaraz and Sinner, reaching the final by defeating Fils, Mensik, Luca Van Assche, and Tien himself in the group stage, where he blanked Tien in the first two sets (4-0 4-0 1-4 4-2) and only gave away one break point. Joao controlled the match as he pleased and had up to 15 break point opportunities, similar to his other victories this week.
Only Mensik managed to really test Fonseca, as they played five tiebreaks to decide a match that felt like a final (3-4 4-3 4-3 3-4 4-3 for Fonseca).
Despite playing most of the year on the Challenger circuit, Fonseca had a dream run at his country's biggest tournament, the ATP 500 Rio de Janeiro, reaching the quarterfinals. He clinched his first Challenger title in Lexington and ended the year ranked 145th (727 in January 2024).
- A spectacular season in the Challenger circuit
Learner Tien, 19 years old, is the player in the NextGen ATP Finals 2024 draw who has won the most Challenger titles this season, with three. His progression has been remarkable with good results for several consecutive weeks, especially in tournaments held in the United States. He had a golden opportunity by participating in the qualifying rounds of the ATP 250 Winston-Salem before the US Open. Such events are ideal for young players to make the most of the week before a Grand Slam, and Tien won five matches to reach the quarterfinals, where he fell to Pablo Carreño (6-4 6-2).
Learner is a player who moves perfectly on the court, he is quick, uses his left-handedness to find angles, and has experience on such surfaces being from the American school where speed is key.
A final where anything can happen, not only due to the equality of the players but also because of the special rules of this event, where matches are played as five sets but with a maximum of four games each (tiebreak at 3-3). Nevertheless, Joao Fonseca will enter the clash as the clear favorite, thanks to his prestigious and high-level victories in the past few days, showing the best form seen from him so far. It will take place tomorrow, Sunday, December 22, starting at 6:00 PM (Spanish Peninsula time).
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